The Outcast
by Erythreas
Summary: It was a simple task they had been given: Dispatch of a pack of Beowolves that threatens the farmlands in the north-eastern parts of Vytal. Team RWBY has been dropped there, on their first official mission, but the beasts managed to strike the four Huntresses in training by surprise. Ruby and Weiss are on their own - until they meet someone who wished to be forgotten.
1. 01 - Schack in the Woods

The events of the last night were spinning in Weiss' thoughts as soon as she woke up. It was a hell of a night with Ruby. First they got ambushed by Beowolves that managed to separate them from Blake and Yang, and after dispatching of the ones following them, they had to flee from a Deathstalker. The result was simple, but yet dangerous: Ruby and Weiss were lost in a Forest they did not know, a small cave provided at least some shelter against the wind and possible rain. They were somewhere in the northern parts of Vytal that were still cold from the last winter, and Ruby was hurt…

Ruby was hurt! Weiss snapped out of her thoughts, and rushed to her partner's aid. After a quick glance at the injury Weiss knew she needed to get some help, before the situation got worse. Ruby's right leg had been ripped open on the side, which caused some blood loss, leaving Weiss no other choice than to carry her somewhere safe. _Thank the Gods this Deathstalker is gone, _Weiss thought to herself. At least one problem was solved for now. The heiress made sure Ruby's cloak did protect her from the harsh weather around them, put her partner on her shoulders as gentle as possible, and made for the forest again.

Weiss stopped suddenly when Ruby groaned in pain. She sat down her partner leaning against a tree trunk carefully, and tried to wake her up. "Ruby? Can you hear me?" She has carried her partner around on her shoulders for what seemed to be at least one and a half hour, so her back started to hurt at this point.

"…Leg… …Hurts…" Ruby could manage to say before the pain almost made her scream. She clenched her teeth, knowing any noise could attract the beasts they were trying to escape from. Weiss took a quick look around, and found no threat in her field of view, but no sign of Yang and Blake either. The situation was getting more serious by the minute, as if it was not hard enough already.

"Ruby, please stay with me." The heiress almost cried. "We're safe for now. I will- Oh no…" Her ice blue eyes widened as she reached for her scroll, and found nothing. In fact, the whole pouch it was in must have been ripped off her belt during the escape. Weiss herself did not take a scratch, much to her relief, but that did not solve the problem. She looked at Ruby.

"I… It's smashed to… Argh! P-pieces… S-sorry…" Ruby pressed through her still clenched teeth, and pointed on the pouch her device was stored in. It has been squeezed, during the encounter maybe, but at least the scroll was still in there, even if its condition could not be seen right away.

"It's okay." Weiss said calmly, as she looked around, getting more and more desperate while doing so. The pouch with the scroll did not matter at that moment. There had to be something somewhere. She kept away tears that tried to build up in her eyes.

She looked left: The woods they were going through just a few moments ago.

She looked right: More forest to be crossed.

She looked behind herself: Even more trees, leaves, and snow on the ground.

She looked behind the tree Ruby was leaning against: A clearing with a shack on it.

"How did I not see this?" Weiss asked herself aloud. She grabbed Ruby, not even asking if she could walk or not. The young girl was getting paler by the minute, due to blood loss Weiss assumed.

It did not take much effort to arrive at the door of the shack. Actually it was a small wooden house with two floors and several rooms. One of the rooms upstairs was lit, a shadow stood at the window, most likely seeing Weiss, who crossed the ground between the forest and the front door with Ruby on her arms. It didn't move however.

"Please have a scroll…" Weiss begged whoever was inside before kicking at the door, knocking this way, since her hands were occupied with Ruby. She needed to make sure to be heard. Nothing happened for what seemed to be an eternity. "Ruby, are you still there?" The young girl simply put a hand on Weiss' cheek, and whispered. "Still here…"

* * *

"Good morning…" a calm, yet repellent female voice spoke up after the door was opened. What she saw was a young girl wearing a combat skirt in an ice colored scheme, who carried a younger girl in bridal fashion. She younger one wore black and red, a cloak covered most of her body, but the woman could still see the blood drenching the red fabric. "What do you require?"

"What do- Don't you see she's injured?!" The teen was obviously an arrogant one, desperate, however, almost in panic. A discussion would not do the victim of said injury any good, so the woman made way, and pointed up the stairs just right of the entrance.

"Do you require material for stitches, or just bandages? You would want to disinfect the wounds most likely. There is a guest room upstairs, second door on the left. Help yourself in there, I'll get my supplies and see what I can do." The woman stayed calm, but spoke in a commanding tone, as the teen in front of her followed her instructions to the letter.

"I don't know, if stitches are needed, Ma'am. Thank you," The older teen answered as she passed her host.

"I see. Go ahead." The owner of this house in the middle of a forest closed the door behind them, and went into her kitchen to get said supplies, without giving them another look. "Okay… Just patch her up, tell them directions and they should be gone," She said to herself, before leaving for the guest room the two should be in by now. She took a short look into a mirror that was placed in the small hallway, realizing the older of the two girls looked somewhat familiar. They shared white hair, a scar on the right eye, but the teen was luckier than her: The eye did not seem to be blinded. The woman shook her head, discarding the trail of thought for the moment. There was a more urgent matter to attend to.

"Okay, Ruby. We got some help. Everything will be fine."

"So that's her name. What's yours?"

"Weiss Schnee, Ma'am." She seemed surprised to see the woman in the door of the room. Weiss stood up, moved out of the way. Ruby seemed to have passed out about a minute ago.

"Hello, Ms. Schnee. My name is Erydias Grey," she introduced herself as she closed the door behind her, and moved towards the injured girl. As far as she could tell by the looks of her, the young one was in a bad shape, but her life was not at risk, yet. "Did a Beowolf do this?" she asked, and pointed at Ruby's leg. Weiss just nodded. "I see."

* * *

Weiss tensed up as the stranger, Erydias Grey, started to tear apart Ruby's Pantyhose after removing her right boot. She saw flesh and bone, blood dripping out of the wound, but this Erydias stayed calm, almost cold. She simply poured a reddish liquid over and into the wound, used some medical pads to remove the spilled substance, blood and dirt from the wound again without even paying attention to Ruby, who tensed up herself, and started to scream.

"What are you doing? Hold her still," Erydias literally ordered, and Weiss obeyed as soon as possible. Ruby on the other hand did not recognize what was going on, and therefore tried to defend herself, tossing and turning in the process. Erydias grabbed an injector of some sort and injected its contents into the young one's right arm. "Narcotic agent," she simply stated, and waited for it to take effect. And highly effective it was because just a few minutes later the screaming stopped, and Erydias started her saturation.

"Are you a doctor, Mrs. Grey?" Weiss asked after a while, while she caressed Ruby's head carefully.

"Ms. Grey. And no, I'm not," the woman replied without even looking up. Her tone was polite but yet somewhat repellent at the same time, just like in the moment they met. It did not matter at the time. Ruby needed the help the stranger offered, even if she made sure Weiss knew they were not quite welcome.

The saturation itself went on in silence, was done in a most professional way, and the leg cleaned with care. Erydias took her time with cleaning the mess under Ruby's leg, before she grabbed a set of bandages, and finished her medical work on the young Huntress to be. The woman still uttered not a single word, as she laid finishing touches on the bandages, and started to clean up behind herself.

Weiss waited until the woman was finished with all of it, before breaking the silence again. "Thank you for helping us." Weiss followed the woman out of the room, who did not even react to her words, closed the door behind them, and did not get a response until they entered what seemed to be the living room. There she took a closer look at her host for the first time. White hair, just like hers, a green and a blinded, gray eye, the right one, with a scar similar to Weiss' own. She wore a gray shirt, blue pants and white socks, all simple and yet elegant. She seemed to be physically strong, but not too muscular.

"Take a seat, Ms. Schnee. Ruby won't wake up until tomorrow morning. I chose this dose rate of the agent so that she wouldn't try to move in the next hours – I'm not taking any chances of her ripping her leg back open."

Weiss sat down on the black leather couch that Erydias pointed at while she listened to her explanation. It made sense to her, even if the heiress was not as educated in medical techniques as Erydias. The room itself was comfortable and bright, a desk could be found in one corner, some prizes were placed on top of the fireplace, a white armor with sword and shield stood next to the exit of the room that led to the hallway. The chest of the armor was adorned with a silver sword, blade pointing down, and two stylized fists, one on each side of the blade. It was definitely not decoration. Traces of use and maintenance could be seen clearly.

It was a cozy little home Ms. Grey lived in. But Weiss did not feel welcome at all. The woman ensured this via body language and tone of speech. "I'm afraid I have to request further assistance, Ms. Grey. I need to contact the rest of our team, Ma'am. One of them is Ruby's sister, and they need to know where we are." Weiss saw that Erydias did not like the idea of any more guests, but tried to keep herself calm. She could not afford to worsen the situation Ruby and herself were in by offending their involuntary host, who took a brief pause, before she answered.

"Then use your scroll," Erydias simply suggested. How did she manage to not be annoyed by now? Weiss knew it may be possible that one did simply forget about the device, so she swallowed her pride this time. A Schnee did not simply make such mistakes.

"I lost it," Weiss admitted, a little bit embarrassed about that fact. How was that even possible? "And Ruby's is broken," she added.

"You want to use mine?"

"…Your permission to do so, yes."

"I'm afraid I don't have one."

_Gods, no… What am I going to do now?_ Weiss was desperate. With no means to contact their friends or to call for help from Beacon, she jumped up from the couch again, walking around Erydias' living room restlessly for several minutes. The involuntary host simply watched the heiress this entire time, until she spoke up again.

"You've got two options: To get Ruby's scroll, and try to fix it. Or to get out there, and retrieve yours."

Erydias pointed in the general direction of both her suggestions, before she got up herself. Weiss tensed once again, she felt threatened by this person this time. "Stop dilly dallying, girl."

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked hesitantly.

"Finishing my breakfast," Erydias replied, before leaving, probably for the upper floor. "Ruby won't wake up until tomorrow anyway, due to the medication I had to use, as said. You have plenty of time, and that should not be wasted, don't you agree, Ms. Schnee?"

"How long will we have to stay here?" Weiss asked. The woman stopped in the doorway, and waited a brief moment before she answered.

"Considering the depth of the wound, Aura accelerating her rate of healing, the medication that has been used additionally… I think something between four and five days, and you will be able to move her."

"She won't be fully recovered by then," Weiss protested. She could not believe that this woman wanted to get rid of her and Ruby, even though she made it obvious from the beginning. Now Erydias made it official: She wanted to get Ruby and Weiss moving again as soon as possible, for some personal reasons, the heiress assumed. The woman however did not want the conversation to carry on, and left for her stated designation. Weiss was left in the living room, and took a deep breath. _Is that what it feels like being around me?_ she wondered, while taking a closer look at her surroundings. As she got to the prizes on top of the fireplace, there was one document that took Weiss' breath away. It was a certification, handed to graduates of Beacon Academy.

"She's a Huntress!"

* * *

**The next Chapter: Retrieval**

**So, here we are: The first chapter of a larger project I am working on. There won't be any regular updates, I'm afraid. As last time, feel free to criticize, but do so in a constructive way.**


	2. 02 - Retrieval

"Please work…" Weiss whispered. After casting aside the fact of being in the home of a seasoned Huntress for the time being, the heiress decided to go for the first option that had been suggested. When she entered the room, Ruby had not moved even a single inch. Whatever this medication was, it scared Weiss until she double checked Ruby's breath and pulse. At first Weiss hesitated to take the scroll out of the squeezed pouch it was in. _It's smashed to pieces, she said,_ Weiss thought every time she grabbed the pouch, and released it again every time the thought was finished. The heiress took the liberty to rid Ruby of some of her clothing, mainly the remaining boot, her beloved red cloak, still drenched in blood, and the belt with the hilt for, and with Crescent Rose, Ruby's ammo, and the scroll. Weiss did not dare touch the black combat skirt or the remainder of the pantyhose. It was not appropriate.

After placing everything orderly in a corner of the room, Weiss returned to the scroll. Finally she managed to overcome her doubts, much to her surprise: The device had been bent, but did withstand the force it had been exposed to otherwise. She was holding it in both hands, ready to unfold it. She repeated her plea once more, before actually unfolding Ruby's scroll. "Please work…"

The display was flickering, menus and icons distorted, and not quite in place, some more than others. Weiss did not think of Ruby having any order on this device anyway, as she did not have it with her studying materials. But this was a mess even her tight order of icons on her own scroll could possibly prevent. Luckily, the heiress managed to locate the list of contacts, and Yang in there. "So far, so good, Weiss. A call is off the table, so where do I… Ah, there you are," Weiss said to the device – she actually talked to herself for the first time in her life – as she managed to start the messaging application. It took her a while to adapt to the blurry symbols that were supposed to be the keyboard, but eventually the heiress created a message for Yang.

-=Ruby is alive. We found help, a Huntress. House on a clearing. Weiss=-

The message was simple, but straight to the point. Everything important to Yang was in there, or at least Weiss assumed there was. They knew each other not well enough for the heiress to be sure about that, but it did not matter at the time. What did matter, however, was the one question on Weiss' mind as soon as she hit what she thought was the 'send'-button. _Will she actually receive it?_ Right after that, the scroll started to throw out sparks for about two seconds before dying out completely.

Weiss placed the now broken scroll on the end table next to the bed her team leader lay in. Ruby still looked lifeless, and Weiss started to worry again. Five days at best, and they would have to get out of the house, moving wherever Erydias told them to go. Weiss would have to aid Ruby in such mundane things as walking – if she would not be forced to carry her the entire time – sitting down and standing up again. Her team leader could not even defend herself, let alone cover the heiress' back. She felt a fear crawling down her spine, as Weiss took another look at Ruby on the bed. She had to protect her, but for now the dunce was safe. But Weiss still was not sure whether or not the message got to the others, and would not be able to find out.

_Why am I so… Insecure? It's not like this Erydias can read my mind or anything. The way she looked at me, however, was… Intriguing,_ Weiss thought to herself and sat on the edge of the bed. Before she did that, the heiress removed Myrtenaster from its hilt. There had to be something odd with this Huntress. Something definitely was not right, but Weiss could not pinpoint it yet. However, when Myrtenaster entered her field of vision, she lost track of this trail of thoughts.

_Wait a minute… Is this… No…_ There was blood on the blade of Myrtenaster. Nothing unusual, considering that Weiss had fought a pack of Beowolves the night before. What stiffened her was a sudden feeling of unknown origins, slowly crawling up the heiress' spine.

* * *

When the Grimm had surrounded them, the members of team RWBY fought their worst to create a way out of the pack, so they could retreat and regroup. While it worked for Yang and Blake relatively easily, Weiss and Ruby struggled not to get separated from one another while the beasts chased them around the clearing they managed to escape to. The dolt shot and slashed at the Beowolves in a flurry of muzzle flashes, rose petals, and bullet casings. The heiress, on the other hand, focused one creature of Grimm at a time – or two if she really had to – and dispatched of them using her glyphs and Myrtenaster efficiently.

"Why are there so many of them?!" Ruby shouted, still engaged by three of the monsters.

"How should I know?!" Weiss replied harshly, as usual. "This is not the time, anyway, Ruby!"

A few slashes and shots later, Weiss realized that the Beowolves managed what the two of them tried so hard to prevent: They got between Ruby and the heiress. "Ruby, get back here!" Weiss screamed at the top of her lungs. The creatures were closing in on her, after they had surrounded Weiss. She started firing her red Dust attacks around herself, more or less aimed, which whatever was there to hit evaded with relative ease. There were only three of them in front of Weiss. The first beast to approach her took a stab to the heart by Myrtenaster. Weiss stabbed and slashed towards the other Grimm approaching her, panicked by the lack of response.

Then, out of nowhere, something red appeared above her. Two brightly red eyes in the darkened sky gazed at her. Weiss struck out, and attacked with all force her arm could muster. The scream of pain made her blood freeze. The familiar, high pitched voice just screamed out in pure agony, as Crescent Rose fell to the ground, shortly after its wielder Ruby had fallen herself. The two red eyes were mere rose petals, the effect of Ruby's Semblance. She was holding the injured leg, screaming out her pain, while the Beowolves stood right next to her, gazing at their now easy prey.

It was then when Weiss lounged forward, using a gravity well to propel herself with enough force to kick the left Grimm out of the way, while the right one received another stab to the heart by Myrtenaster. There were even more behind these two, but the Beowolves started to retreat. The reason for that was a Deathstalker that burst out of the ground, just where the pack was about a second ago. Weiss didn't even think. She just needed to get Ruby out of there. So she grabbed the younger girl. The heiress threw the rose on her own back to carry her. She even grabbed Crescent Rose. Nothing mattered, but to get away. Lucky for them, the giant Grimm took the pack of Beowolves for a larger threat than the two Huntresses – or the easier prey, both options were fine.

Weiss never turned around, but could always hear the clacking of the deadly Grimm. It was following them, she knew it. There was a small cave they could hide in, so she did. Ruby had fallen unconscious, therefore silent, and Weiss was just too tired to carry her any further. Inside the cave, the heiress leaned her team leader and herself against a wall, and closed her eyes after making sure Ruby was still breathing…

* * *

"I did this to you…" Weiss whispered, time and time again, with Myrtenaster in both hands, and looked at Ruby in disgust – but not by the young girl, her team leader, or the injury she currently suffered from. Instead, Weiss was disgusted by herself. How could she let this have happened? The one person who actually seemed to care for the heiress had been severely injured by her. They slowly started to trust each other, and now this! "BAH!" Weiss shouted, and threw Myrtenaster away from the bed, away from Ruby. It was thrown somewhere it could not do any harm to her. There was no excuse for what Weiss had done. Unacceptable! But at least now Weiss knew this feeling that has taken hold of her. It had been a long time since she felt it last, and it was just as bad back then. Guilt. She felt guilty for Ruby's current condition, and she was.

A knock on the door drew Weiss out of her thoughts. "Did you manage to contact your team, Ms. Schnee?" It was Erydias asking, while the Huntress opened the door. As she was standing in the doorway, she sounded definitely just as repellent than when they met at her doorstep. Yet another reminder for the heiress that she and Ruby were not wanted here.

"What… Why are you…?" Weiss asked hesitantly. Erydias' sudden appearance made her nervous to the point she tried to get a hold of Myrtenaster, and tensed up once again as she noticed her weapon lay in the corner she has thrown it moments ago. The Huntress had to know about what happened, or at least suspect Weiss for it. Never before had a person managed to see Weiss drained like this. The layer of ice around her soul would prevent anyone from reaching the heiress on an emotional level. And yet, this one woman did just that, simply by entering the guest room. She did not look at Weiss aggressively. Neither did her body language show any hostility.

"I did this…" Weiss mumbled, pointing at Ruby.

"I know…" Erydias said calmly and quietly. Now all of a sudden the hostile tone was missing in the woman's voice. She spoke gently, a warm smile on her lips, as she approached Weiss, who started flailing her arms in defense.

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" She shouted. "We… We were surrounded by… By Beowolves… It was dark… I thought I saw one, and attacked… Attacked her instead… By no means is this a betrayal, I swear!" Her host approached her slowly, limping a bit. Weiss could not make any sense out of the woman's body language. Neither did Erydias look angered, nor did she seem to try to take a hold of Weiss. She simply limped towards her, and put a hand on the left shoulder of the heiress. It was just a mere pat, but its force was enough to force Weiss to her knees. It took all of her discipline not to burst out in tears over what happened.

"Then why is it that you are berating yourself about the matter this much?" The heiress looked at the Huntress, confused by what she just heard. Weiss tried to ice up again, but failed even before she could snap at the woman again. Instead, she remained silent for minutes. Her eyes filled with tears every time she opened them, but she kept them to herself. There was no reason to cry. It was an accident. But why would the tears keep coming then? Why did she feel this bad about it? What was going on with her? As Weiss eventually dared look up, Erydias had left her side again, and moved towards the end table.

"It seems you should go and retrieve your scroll, if you are willing to help Ruby."

"Of… Of course I am."

"Then put yourself in gear and get a move on, girl. Seize the daylight while it lasts," Erydias ordered this time, the hostility back to the level it has been this entire morning. "And when you return, you are to explain to me why the two of you were out here to begin with. Now move it!"

* * *

A few hours later Weiss was alone in the forest, Myrtenaster in hand, and looked around every bush, branch, and tree she came across in search for her scroll. It must have been around 1 p.m. as she came across a familiar rock with a cave in it. _Wait… Is that…? _Suddenly, the heiress darted forwards to a bush not far away from the cave entrance. "There you are, you stupid thing!" She almost yelled through the forest. Her pouch with the scroll in it lay more or less in plain sight, just in the shadow of the bush next to it. There were several scratches on the surface of the pouch.

Weiss grabbed and opened it immediately. _YES! _The scroll inside was still intact. Without even thinking, she unfolded the device, looked up Yang in her contacts, and made the call.

-=Who's that?!=- The device spoke up almost too sudden. Weiss sighed in relief, before answering. But there was a strange noise in the background. _Engines? _Weiss wondered.

"It's Weiss, Yang. I-"

-=Weiss! You okay?=- Yang certainly did sound worried, but it still was a surprise that the brawler did not ask about her sister's well being immediately. Maybe they received the message Weiss tried to send via Ruby's scroll.

"Yes, I am unharmed." _Now comes the fun part, _Weiss thought to herself in the middle of the breath she took before explaining the situation. "But Ruby… She's injured."

-=WHAT?! WHERE ARE YOU?!=-

"Yang, listen. She's in a house on a clearing somewhere in the middle of the forest. I-"

-=YOU LEFT HER ALONE?!=- Yang was furious, and interrupted Weiss once again. She was trying to explain everything, but had no means to counter the blonde's big sister instincts that obviously overwhelmed her at the moment. Another deep breath was taken by the heiress.

"No, she's with a Huntress we met. Y-"

-=What happened to my baby sis?=-

"Yang, calm down, and I will explain everything to you properly." _Or at least stop interrupting me. _Weiss just took a seat on a nearby tree stump as a sudden and unexpected silence was all that came from her scroll – not even what the heiress assumed to be the noise of engines could be heard. She was weary. _Microphone turned off, I suppose,_ She thought. _Was I too harsh again? I don't think I snapped at her, or did I?_ It seemed to take several minutes until Yang finally broke the silence again.

-=Okay… I'm good… Go ahead, Weiss,=- Yang sounded like she cried a lot in these past few moments. -=Blake's listening, too,=- The blonde added, although it was nothing more than a whisper.

"Hello, Blake. Good to hear you're fine as well," Weiss greeted her team mate, before starting to explain what happened to Ruby and her, beginning with the fight against the Beowolves, after they got separated. The heiress paused briefly as she got to the point when Ruby was injured, and decided to skip the incident for the moment. More importantly, Ruby was alive and safe, and Weiss had to cover her confusing feelings for now, acting icy as usual to do so – as she always has.

It took all the strength Weiss could muster not to tell Yang about HOW Ruby's injury came to be, but she described the wound itself as detailed as she could remember. The same went for the treatment Erydias had provided for Ruby, although the heiress did not mention her by name – simply referred to her as 'the Huntress'. The heiress did not mention the tension between her and Erydias. However, she admitted that she lost her scroll, and tried to use Ruby's broken device to contact Yang hours ago. Right after this obviously failed, which was confirmed by the other half of team RWBY, the heiress went back into the forest to look for her scroll.

"…And now I am explaining things to you," Weiss finished.

-=Okay. Weiss, we're headed back to Beacon already, getting some help to find you. It looks like we need a medical team for Ruby though. Assembling one could take a while,=- Blake spoke up while she had the chance. It could have been a reminder for Yang to not worry too much, but Weiss did not know for sure. At least her assumption about the engine noise in the background was right.

"Yes…" Weiss said while getting up on her feet again. It was time to move back, now that these things were settled for the time being. "I see you tomorrow then?"

-=I think. Just remember to switch on the distress signal when you're back at that house.=- Yang advised unnecessarily. -=In case we can come for you sooner,=- Blake added. At least they were reasonable.

"Okay. I'm heading back now. See you."

-=See you. And princess: Take care of Ruby,=- Yang said before she disconnected the conversation.

_Of course I will._ Weiss replied to her, even though it was just a thought.

* * *

**The next chapter: Lessons**

**Here it is: chapter 2. Feel free to leave suggestions for improvements as a review, I sort of depend on the feedback in order to improve my abilities.**


	3. 03 - Lessons

Weiss took another four hours to find the way back to the house Erydias lived in. As she stood in front of the door, Weiss thought about how she could possibly tell Ruby the truth about her leg. Berating her for something, which was not Ruby's fault, was out of the question. On the other hand, she did not communicate during the encounter, and that was not the first time either. Maybe Ruby did not see Weiss in the dark, and got into her way without even noticing it. That was no excuse for what Weiss had done, of course, but it could explain how the situation came to be. Now it was dinner time, and the heiress felt hungry, for obvious reasons like the lack of a proper breakfast.

As she opened the door, she noticed a somewhat familiar smell, coming from the kitchen. Weiss went there directly, even though the presence of Erydias came back to her mind as the heiress entered the entrance to the kitchen. Just seeing the Huntress made her uncomfortable. Erydias was cooking something inside at least one large, and one medium sized pot.

"Right on schedule, Ms. Schnee. I assumed, you would be hungry, when you return to us," Erydias stated calmly, and repellent, as usual. The heiress noticed some sort of connection between behavior and presence of the Huntress. However, she was cut off before mentioning her return, so Erydias actually did notice her. "Did you accomplish the objective of your retrieval-mission?"

"Yes… Thank you for asking. Is… Is Ruby alright?" Weiss asked in hesitation. She feared that her team leader's condition had become worse during her necessary absence.

"Why don't you go upstairs, and find out for yourself? I'm busy here, as you might have noticed." That answer was typical for this woman. How could someone possibly stand being around a person like Erydias? "Dinner will be served in about five minutes."

Weiss nodded, as the added hint was given, and headed upstairs. She noticed the mirror in the small hallway for the first time, although she had passed it about five times now. The heiress could see the weariness on herself, and some sort of restlessness as well. _It was a very long day, Weiss. You look like it._ The heiress turned away from the mirror, and recognized a black hat: A simple, black fedora hung next to the mirror, on a hook. _I've seen this before… but where?_ On her way up the stairs, Weiss noticed that the door to the guest room stood open a bit. As she entered the room carefully, her heart was comforted for the first time in the last 48 hours. There she was, Ruby Rose, clothed in a gray nightgown and connected to a medical drip with a clear liquid in it. The sight, however, was not, what comforted the heart of the heiress. It was the voice, just as tired as hers, that said three simple words. "You came back."

"What teammate would not come back?" Weiss asked. She tossed Myrtenaster aside, again, and went straight towards Ruby, who tried to sit up a little. "No. You stay put, Ruby," the heiress said gently. "And why are you awake? I was told you wouldn't wake up until tomorrow."

"Well," Ruby started, "there is something in this drip, that helps my body recreate the blood I've lost. But the same stuff also counters the narcotic agent that was used this morning." Ruby sounded much like Erydias, while explaining the situation to Weiss. "Uh, sorry, I recited the walkie-talkie."

While Ruby was explaining her strange choice of words, Weiss looked around in the guest room. There was a mattress, lying next to the closet, a small table with a chair stood in the corner next to the door, and Ruby's clothes were gone. "The what?" Weiss asked, and looked at the end table that Ruby pointed at. A walkie-talkie lay on the edge, just in range for Ruby to grasp it. "Where is the other one?" The heiress asked.

"I don't know?" Ruby asked. The young team leader smiled awkwardly after that, and Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I-I was very woozy after I woke up. I saw someone placing… Stuff in here. Gray shirt, blue pants…" Ruby started to wear out again as she tried to remember what she had seen.

"Hush, Ruby," interrupted Weiss, and put a hand on her partner's shoulder. "I know who you mean. Ms. Grey is our host, and she saved you."

"As far, as I am aware, it was YOU, who saved Ruby, Ms. Schnee." The door opened, and Erydias entered the room casually, while giving her statement. She limped directly towards the table, and put two plates with Spaghetti on it. Her tone was not as repellent, as Weiss was used to, but somewhat agonized. _Whatever makes her limp – it seems to hurt a lot,_ Weiss thought while watching Erydias, who turned around immediately after serving dinner, but could not hide the pain her face was expressing in that moment. There was a walkie-talkie on her belt, which looked just like the one on the end table.

"Oh, there's the other one…" Weiss noted, and picked up the walkie-talkie from the end table.

"There's a button on the back of it. Push it, and you'll have your privacy," Erydias explained indirectly, what she used the set of devices for: Monitoring Ruby. She limped towards the young Huntress in training, and undid the connection to the almost empty drip beside the bed. The woman put the drip, the square column it was attached to, and even the needle in Ruby's left hand aside, just next to the door, before taking her leave again. She did not say a single word during her actions.

"Thank you." Weiss followed her host to the door of the guest room, and closed it behind Erydias. She then turned towards Ruby, and asked gently: "Can you eat on your own, Ruby?"

"I think I'll give it a shot," the younger girl answered wearily.

"Alright." Weiss went to her, helped her into a sitting position, and fetched the food. She handed over one fork, and placed one plate on the covers with great care.

"Thanks, Weiss."

"That's the least I c-" Weiss shuddered, when Ruby suddenly flinched in pain. The heiress grabbed the plate, and lifted it. "Did I put it on your leg?" she asked with concern.

"N-no… It just started to hurt. Do you know what happened?" Ruby asked while clenching her fists on top of the covers. _She doesn't even have a clue…_ Weiss thought. But before she even could start to explain, Ruby continued to talk, weary as she was. At least the pain seemed to be gone again. "You know… There was one behind you. I… Charged in to kill it… And then… Everything went red, then dark…"

_Gods, you even… Why did this happen?_ The heiress felt the cold feeling of guilt crawling up her spine again. Not only did she injure her friend, who she never really treated as such. She literally punished the young leader of team RWBY for saving her very life. Luckily, Ruby did not seem to know how 'everything went red, then dark'.

"You got hit, Ruby," Weiss explained while looking at her team leader. Her decision to hold back a portion of the truth hurt the heiress, but at least she found a way to avoid admitting her unacceptable mistake, without lying to the little rose.

"I got hit by what?" Ruby asked.

"I couldn't see it properly, I'm afraid," Weiss answered in her most polite tone she could muster. Again it was no lie, but it was not the whole truth either. Ruby kept silent for a few moments, looked at Weiss as if she was waiting for something. The heiress looked back at her, taking a deep, but silent breath. _Gods, she knows… Oh Gods, she knows… _Weiss thought nervously.

"Thanks for saving me," Ruby whispered, before taking a slight hold of Weiss' hand, which still held the plate with the Spaghetti. "We should eat, before they cool down too much," the young Huntress in training added. Weiss just nodded in agreement, and the two ate the dinner their host provided.

"Mh… Pfif if good…" Ruby stated without even swallowing her first portion she put in her mouth.

"Ruby, please don't talk with a mouthful of food," Weiss reminded her of some manners. "But you're right, these Spaghetti are well made."

"Sorry," the red haired girl said, slightly blushing, "What were you doing, while I was out?"

"Well," the white haired girl started, "I tried to contact the others. At first with you scroll, but that didn't work out."

"Oh. Yang must be worried sick." Ruby looked sad all of a sudden. Good thing, that Weiss had further information to make her feel more comfortable again.

"After I finished your scroll, I went back into the forest," Weiss continued, only to be interrupted. _Runs in the family, I suppose._

"Why would you do that?"

"I tried to find my scroll, which I lost while we came here." The conversation with Yang earlier that day seemed to be a good preparation for dealing with Ruby during the current one: The scythe wielder interrupted the heiress again.

"Did that work out?"

"Yes, I managed to contact Yang, and Blake. They-" And Ruby interrupted Weiss again.

"Are they alright?" she asked, sincerely concerned. Weiss just sighed, and nodded.

"Yes, they are fine, and should be back at Beacon by now…" This time Weiss made a pause for Ruby to speak up. But the rose did not say anything. "They went back to get help, Ruby."

"Why didn't they come back for us immediately?" Ruby mumbled under another bite of her dinner.

"Assembling a medical team for your leg takes a while. They'll come and get us tomorrow," Weiss answered gently. "Besides, this pack of Beowolves is still out there, in the forest."

"That sounds reasonable," the younger of the two girls said quietly. "I didn't think about that."

"Oh, that reminds me…" Weiss said hastily, and pulled her scroll out of the pouch. Initially, the heiress wanted to activate the distress signal, so that they could be located for the pickup. But a look at Ruby got her another idea. "Do you want to talk to Yang?" she asked, and Ruby's eyes went wide in excitement.

"Can I really?"

"Of course you can, dun-… n't overdo it, though. You need rest." Weiss prepared the scroll for Ruby to make the call, after they finished their dinner. The room provided a somewhat cozy atmosphere, which calmed Weiss down a lot, before Ruby started to talk to her sister via her scroll. Weiss could hear Yang's relief about Ruby's current condition clearly, and she could see the joy in Ruby's face while the heiress listened to their conversation, even though the young leader was getting tired rapidly.

"I think I'll sleep now, Yang…" the young Huntress in training said wearily. "We'll see you tomorrow, big sis…"

-=See ya, Ruby. And Weiss: Thanks for taking care of her,=- Yang responded much calmer than she was during the conversation about four and a half hours ago.

"You're welcome. See you soon," Weiss answered quietly. As she folded her scroll again, Ruby had already fallen asleep, smiling like the little dunce she was. The heiress caught herself smiling warmly on this sight. A few strokes through Ruby's hair later, she reflected on what happened that day:

First, she got help for Ruby by a stranger, who happened to live in the middle of nowhere. Second, she got helpful advice from that stranger, more than once, while dealing with her situation. But this stranger also wanted her gone for some reason, and Weiss was curious about that reason. This Erydias Grey character had no means of communication to the outside world either. This didn't make any sense to Weiss, but she was afraid of confronting her host about that matter. Yes, there was this presence the woman surrounded herself with. Weiss didn't understand Erydias, and that bothered the heiress.

But eventually, Weiss fell asleep herself. As her vision started to blur, she took a hold of Ruby's hand. "I swear to the gods, Ruby: I will never let something like this happen again," she whispered, before her eyes closed one last time, and the heiress fell into a deep, and well earned sleep.

* * *

**The next chapter: Memories**

**Here it is: Chapter three of this work. I reworked the plot while writing this chapter, therefore changed the title of it. Have fun reading, and feel free to comment as you see fit.**


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